All Herondales are Trouble
by anim8or
Summary: Follow the newest addition to the Herondale family as she proves time and time again that yes, they are all trouble. As if we didn't already know.
1. Prologue

It was the night of January 4th, 2012. It was cold, rainy and uncomfortable outside, but the inside of the New York Institute was very pleasantly warm. The air, though, was thick with worry. Clary Herondale had gone into labor early in the morning the day before, a good month before the baby was due. She had several Silent Brothers in the room with her, but Jace was not allowed inside. Neither was anyone else, for that matter. Magnus, Alec, Isabelle, Simon, Luke, Jocelyn, Jem and Tessa were all lingering outside of the birthing room, silent and tense. While most of them had been there almost since Clary had first gone into labor - Alec had insisted that he and Magnus take a break from their vacation the instant a distraught Jace had called and given them the news, and Magnus had not argued - Jem and Tessa had just gotten there about three or four hours ago. Isabelle and Simon had gotten there not long after Alec and Magnus, and Jocelyn and Luke right behind them.

The silence was stifling. Clary had stopped her cries of pain, and no one had heard the baby yet. Jace was leaning against a wall, looking positively exhausted, while Alec tried to coax him into taking a little break and going to sleep for a while. Magnus was sitting in one of the chairs beside Isabelle, who was pretty pregnant as well - though not due yet - and Simon, who was too tense and jittery to get any rest. Jocelyn was leaning on Luke's shoulder - both of them were pale and looked frightened, though no one could blame them. Even Tessa and Jem were worried, and they were not nearly as close to Clarissa and Jace as the rest of them.

Only after another hour did the door to the birthing room open. Jace was there in an instant, his eyes wide and alarmed as a Silent Brother stepped out with a tiny bundle of rags in his arms. There were tiny noises coming from the rags - not quite loud enough to be considered cries, or even healthy, but just loud enough to be heard. As Jace reached out for the bundle, a confused and concerned look crossed his face, which was mirrored by Alec when the other young man walked up behind his _parabatai._

_The baby is a healthy little girl, and the mother is doing well, although you cannot see her until we are finished with the cleaning and check-up. There is no need for any concern for their wellbeing. _The Silent Brother's voice rang through each person's head.

Relieved and excited, everyone else leaped to their feet to run over and see the infant they'd been waiting so long for. Isabelle was the first one there, which was surprising due to the fact that she was six months pregnant, and she let out a squeal of delight when she saw the baby's crinkled up, tiny face.

"Please, Izzy, kindly keep your girly noises down around my daughter," Jace scolded tiredly, though his remark had no real bite to it. He was now cradling the baby in his arms, low enough so that everyone could see. The infant was tiny, her skin tinted red. She was adorable, but there was something very, very odd about her, and Jace was the first to voice his concerns. "Alec, you didn't sleep with my wife, did you?" At a swift shake from Alec's raven-haired head, the golden man narrowed his eyes sharply. "Then why on earth does my kid have black hair?"

Jem, Tessa and Magnus all exchanged a glance, before laughing softly, as if he'd said something quite funny. At Jace's incredibly confused expression, Jem decided to elaborate. "Quite a few of your ancestors, Jace, have had black hair. I suppose your daughter is a true Herondale - refusing to meet anyone's expectations."

"Still..." Jace did not look convinced, though, and continued to stare at the bundle in his arms, completely perplexed. "If she opens her eyes and they're blue, I believe Alexander and I will have to have a serious discussion," he stated calmly, glancing over at his _parabatai _in a way that appeared to mean business, though Alec didn't seem to care. He was too busy studying the baby, his eyes alight with the excitement and love that seemed to be coursing through each person in the room.

After everyone had had their chance to see the baby, Magnus spoke up. He was adorned in a very sparkly, very pink suit for the occasion, as he had expected the baby to be a girl. Clary had wanted the gender to be a surprise, and everyone but Magnus himself guessed that it would be a boy. He was quite proud over that. "I do believe that Uncle Magnus should be the first to hold baby Maggie." The name that Magnus had chosen in honor of himself, of course.

"Her name is _not _Maggie," Jace protested with a sharp glare at the warlock, masking any and all affection he felt for the sparkly man. "And no, you won't be," he announced, wrapping his arms around the newborn as gently as possible.

"Then who will?" Isabelle asked, bouncing on her toes. "Auntie Izzy?"

"Uncle Batman?" Simon questioned as he gestured toward himself. He was ignored completely.

Jace groaned in exasperation and looked at the baby in his arms. "Apart from me, the first one who gets to hold her should probably be Jocelyn," he said softly, glancing toward the red-headed woman awkwardly. "Although I am not going to lie to you. It's hard for me not to let Alec hold her before you."

Jocelyn blinked slowly before she gave Jace a gentle smile. "I understand wanting your _parabatai _to hold her first. Go ahead."

Jace wasted no time in handing the infant to Alec, who looked both alarmed and in awe of being given such an incredibly high honor. It was clear he hadn't expected it, and he held the baby close to his chest, his blue eyes locked on Jace. The golden-haired man grinned at him and nodded encouragingly, and Alec smiled softly before giving the baby a tiny hug. It wasn't too long, however, before she began crying loudly in the man's arms.

"She hates me!" Alec whined, bouncing a little on his toes to try and calm the child down, a worried expression on his face.

Jace let out a laugh and shook his head. "She doesn't. She probably just knows that you'll stop her from doing reckless things. You know how I hate the fact you're a stick in the mud." Alec glanced up at him at that. "But that's okay. She'll act like she hates it, but she'll be so grateful to you for loving her enough to care," he murmured as he walked over to run his fingers over the squalling baby's soft, black hair.

Alec relaxed slightly at that and offered Jace a warm smile of his own. "Why am I the one who was tasked with keeping not one, but two Herondales safe?" he questioned, feigning annoyance.

Magnus grunted at that. "Consider yourself lucky you only have two." The warlock had encountered more than his fair share of the Herondale line.

"We are magnificent. Don't pretend you don't love us," Jace protested, crossing his arms tiredly over his chest.

Before long, everyone had gotten to hold the baby, and finally Jace was allowed to go back and check on Clary, which he did instantaneously, leaving the newborn with her loving family. She was safe with them, after all, and was currently in the arms of her adoring Auntie Izzy.

Only after several minutes of simply kissing Clary's face and telling her that he loved her at least a thousand times, Jace managed to leave her side to get the baby so they could hold her together as a family, for the first time. Clary took the child into her arms and blinked slowly, before a peal of laughter escaped her. She sounded so tired, and Jace was incredibly confused.

"Is something funny?" he asked, tipping his head to the side ever so slightly.

Clary shook her head with a small smile. "She doesn't look anything like me," she remarked, pulling the blanket back away from the baby's face to reveal her eyes. Now open, they were a shocking shade of gold - incredibly similar to her father's. "Black hair and golden eyes. For some reason I expected her to have red hair..." She didn't really sound disappointed, but more perplexed, as though she couldn't make sense of it. "Red hair runs strong in the Fairchild family."

"But _she's_ a _Herondale_. We do tend to break the mold a bit." Jace leaned over to press a kiss to the infant's little forehead, a smile playing on his lips. "She's still so beautiful, though," he breathed, reaching out a hand to touch the baby's raven-black hair.

"What are we going to name her?" Clary asked, looking up at him. "I think you should pick the first name, because I want her middle name to be Jocelyn."

Jace frowned at the question, still looking intently at his daughter. She blinked her big golden eyes at him, and he gave her a bright smile. "How about Aurelia?" he offered softly. "It's Latin for 'golden.'"

"That's unusual," Clary commented, rocking the little girl in her arms gently. But then she smiled a bit, nodding her head. "It sounds beautiful, though. I think it's great." She kissed the baby's forehead with a tiny laugh. "Unusual and beautiful. That's her."

"Aurelia Jocelyn Herondale," Jace said with a small smile, his eyes trained on the little girl's face. His expression suddenly brightened. "Maybe we could call her A.J.?"

"No."

"But Clary-"

"No, Jace."

"Clary..."

"One more word and we're changing her first name."

"Fine..." Jace hung his head in defeat.

But it is a well-known fact that Herondales are very, very good at getting what they want.

* * *

**I'm sorry if that seems weird, or confusing, or if this is like another story! I didn't look to make sure that this was particularly unique, but I hope the storyline - once we get down to it - will be very different. Plus I want to make the next chapters longer. This is just a prologue, and I'm looking for some feedback before I continue with it. I don't want to write a story that no one will read xD **

**Just a warning - while this is under the Family/Friendship category, this has angst, tragedy, hurt/comfort, romance, adventure, humor and everything in between in it. I'm very excited to get started, but I will probably be updating sporadically. **

**I would like you all to know that I have not read the book about Simon yet, so I don't know how that went, and this story will have spoilers for both The Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices series. This will probably involve some adult themes as well, though nothing too bad. Mostly violence and alcohol use and things along that line. c:**

**As stated before, I love reviews, both positive and negative, so go ahead and hit me with your best shot c: I don't bite.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices. They belong to the brilliant Cassandra Clare.**

**Please note that I do not usually have same-gender pairings in my stories. The Magnus and Alec interaction will not include romance. The most I'll do is mention them being together. This is not to offend anyone. We all believe differently, so please do not hate me or flame me for my decision.**

**God bless you and have a great day, **

**anim8or**


	2. Chapter One - The Perfect Tea Party

While the first few months of Aurelia's life were spent in blissful peace, apart from the crying and screaming that came whenever the infant was uncomfortable in some way, Jace had just truly given thought to the fact that he and Clary had a little girl to take care of, and said little girl was now five months old. He, like the majority of his friends and loved ones, had expected a boy when Clary had first discovered she was with child. He'd imagined having a little copy of himself to train, love and bond with like only a father and son could.

But now, he had a daughter.

And a daughter meant bows and frills and pink and purple and fingernail polish and kittens and puppies and dolls... The list went on and on. But none of those things bothered Jace. Yeah, he could buy bows and frilly things and learn how to braid hair and paint nails and stuff. Puppies and kittens weren't even out of the question, and they already had about a thousand baby dolls for their little princess. The one thing that had been bothering him was something that he thought should come pretty easily, but did not.

He needed to learn how to host the best tea party in the entire world.

He'd tried hard already to perform said task - his little girl was taking a nap, and Clary and Isabelle were out shopping with Tessa, who, along with Jem, had been staying at the Institute more frequently since Aurelia's birth. They had Simon and Isabelle's baby girl, Maxine, with them, so Jace and Aurelia were by themselves. Well, apart from Alec, who was taking a nap after a long date night with Magnus. Jace was actually surprised that his _parabatai _had come back to the Institute - Maryse and Robert still ran it, but they were hardly here, and though Alec lived with Magnus, he sometimes decided to come spend the night at his old home. Jace always enjoyed having him back, but him staying at the Institute usually meant that he and Magnus had had a falling out, and he really wasn't looking forward to the drama that came with the squabble. Regardless, it was nice to feel the invisible cords that bound them not be so tightly stretched. Alec was near, and it soothed Jace's nerves.

Well, for the most part anyway.

He'd set up the little table and brought out the teapot and boiled water and steeped the tea and stirred in the sugar, but it tasted disgusting and the reality of everything was beginning to hit him. He really didn't know what to do, and now that he was thinking about it, everything else that came along with having a girl seemed so much more daunting. What if he had to go dress shopping? What if he had to learn what kind of makeup she liked? What if he had to buy perfume and shampoos? He just hadn't thought about how hard these little things were, and if he was already having trouble setting up a tea party, what else would he mess up on?

He decided he needed help.

Jace sat the teacup in his shaking hands down and ran out toward Alec's room, and didn't even knock before he bolted inside. "Alec! Alexander Gideon Lightwood, get up immediately. I need your help!" he shouted in a whispery tone, just in case his raised, panicky voice would wake his precious little girl from her nap. She was in Jace and Clary's room down the hall, but one could never be too careful.

His _parabatai _jumped and disentangled from the blankets ungracefully before flopping onto the floor, his black hair a mess and his blue eyes round in panic. "What? What's wrong?" he demanded, leaping to his feet and grasping about for a weapon. Jace, for a moment, had to stifle laughter at how ridiculous his friend looked. But then again, he hadn't woken Alec up like this in the past unless something seriously bad was going on. He supposed being a failure as a father and tea party host fell into the "bad" category.

"I need to learn how to host a tea party immediately, and I thought you might know something about it," Jace explained quickly, reaching out to grab Alec's arm. The black-haired man looked incredibly confused, still half-asleep, so Jace decided he might need to elaborate. "For A.J. She's a girl. What if she would rather dress up than fight demons?" He heard the panic in his own voice, and he hoped he was still making sense, as he continued, "I don't want to force her to do things that she doesn't want to just because I don't know how to be a good father."

To Jace's surprise, Alec actually seemed to understand. But in all honesty, he should've expected it. Alec took his role as Aurelia's uncle very, very seriously, and he couldn't stand the baby being unhappy, no matter what it was about. "You're right," he began, his eyes wide in alarm. "I didn't think about any of that."

Jace raked a hand through his messy golden hair, turning his eyes pleadingly up toward his best friend. "I didn't until just a little bit ago. Will you help me?" he asked, hoping that Alec would understand the deeper meaning behind his desperate need to do this correctly.

He didn't want to be anything like Valentine.

Alec just nodded and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Jace. We'll figure this out," the black-haired man stated, and Jace had to admit that he felt just a bit better.

For a while, at least. As it would happen, Alec's tea somehow tasted even worse than Jace's had, and they'd managed to spill a whole kettle full of water on the floor, broken two teacups, and made fifteen unsuccessful cups of tea. It was a disaster, and with each disgusting sip, Jace's anxiety rose. He felt on the verge of an actual panic attack, and wished desperately that Clary would get home soon. She probably knew how to make everything look nice, and how to make the tea taste good.

"What are we doing wrong?" he finally burst out, flinging one of their beautiful little teacups across the room. He took some form of satisfaction at the shattering noise it made as it hit the wall. He'd probably have to buy a new tea set after this anyway. He just hoped that they didn't have any sentimental value.

Alec didn't look any better than Jace felt, his fists clenched in his tangled hair, still a mess from sleep. "I don't know. I haven't ever had tea this disgusting, and we practically poured sugar into it. It's not sweet at all!"

The two exchanged a despairing glance, and Jace sat down with a bump in one of the tiny chairs they'd bought for Aurelia. "I'm going to be a terrible father," he murmured, thumping his head down against the table. "Poor A.J., getting stuck with a dad who can't even set up a good tea party. If she doesn't want to hunt demons, she's going to hate me for not trying harder."

"You sound like you're giving up."

Jace and Alec both glanced up at the new, unexpected voice and found that it belonged to James Carstairs, who was standing in the doorway between the playroom and the hallway. He wore the amused expression of a person who was trying not to laugh in order to spare someone else's feelings, and he was dressed in a very nice tuxedo.

"I am," Jace conceded, lowering his head back down onto the table and closing his eyes. "We've been at this for hours. I don't know what else to do."

With a soft chuckle, Jem shook his head and entered the room silently, reminding Jace not for the first time that he had once been a Silent Brother. When he reached the little table, he bent down and picked up one of the teacups and brought it to his lips before scrunching up his nose in disgust.

"See?" Alec asked miserably. Jace could only imagine that his _parabatai_ was beating himself up just as much as he himself was.

Jem tilted his head to the side. "Do you not know what you've done wrong?" he questioned, looking genuinely concerned for the two disheveled men who were sitting at the undersized pink-and-white table.

"No," they moaned in unison, and Jem let out another laugh - a real one this time, as if the situation were just too funny to care for their feelings.

He sat the teacup back down on the table and pointed to the sugar container. "You've put salt in the tea. That's why it doesn't taste right."

The other two men exchanged a glance, and Jace pinched up some of the substance in the sugar container before putting it in his own mouth. His eyes widened immediately and he glanced over at his _parabatai. _"How did we not notice?" he demanded, feeling the anxiety begin to ebb, before it came back full force. "By the Angel, Alec. I can't even tell sugar from salt. What is the matter with me?"

Jem patted the back of Jace's shoulder comfortingly. "Well, in your defense, you _were _nearly hysterical."

"How did you know?" Alec asked, his eyebrows knitted up in confusion. "Were you spying on us?" His tone was nearly suspicious.

The other black-haired man smiled softly before pointing up at the ceiling, not at all fazed by Alec's accusatory tone. "I was trying to get some rest. My room's right above this one, and you two were being so loud that I could've heard you from outside. I'm honestly surprised that Aurelia's still sleeping. Now," he said slowly, his smile turning into one of amusement again, "I understand that you want to set up a perfect tea party. Is that right?"

Jace nodded slowly.

"All right, then. I can help you with that, if you want, for I am quite good at serving tea," he informed the two, and there was absolutely no way that Jace was going to decline the offer.

And as it would happen, Jem was fantastic at hosting tea parties.

An hour later, though, when Clary, Isabelle and Tessa returned, it was difficult to explain why all three men were dressed in suits and sipping tea at the tiny, beautifully-decorated table.

* * *

**This was my try at cutekitty5597's adorable idea. I would like to say that I won't be formally taking requests for this story, but if you have an idea that you want to share, I'd take it into consideration c: That doesn't mean I'll be doing every one, though. I only took this one because I had terrible writer's block and the idea of Jace and Alec stressing out and trying to throw a tea party intrigued me. c:**

**Also, I know this chapter is short. Please forgive me. I'll try to make some of the next chapters longer. There may be a time skip coming up. **

**As always, read, review, favorite, follow and pm me if you have questions c: **

**Fun fact: The title of this story is based on the question asked in the summary of the hardback copy of The Bane Chronicles: "Are all Herondales as problematic as Will?" **

**Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, The Bane Chronicles, and everything related to them. **

**God Bless you all, and I hope you have a great day.**

**anim8or**

**P.S. May the Fourth be with you :D**


	3. Chapter Two - Hide 'n Seek

_This chapter may contain light spoilers for the Bane Chronicles._

* * *

"I can't _wait _to stay with Uncle Magnus!" trilled an extremely-excited four-year-old Aurelia as she trotted down the street. She was hand-in-hand with her current favorite aunt, Isabelle, who was carrying a drowzy Maxine on her hip as well. The slightly-younger toddler's full head of gently waving brown hair was combed and drawn up into a pretty little bow, whilst Aurelia's black mane curled wildly in every which direction. Jace and Clary had given up on ever doing anything with it long ago, and the little girl seemed to like it better the way it was anyway. She was happy, and that was all that mattered.

"He _is _pretty great," Isabelle replied with a soft smile, letting go of the child's hand to pat the top of her head before taking her hand once more.

They had to hand the kids off to Magnus for the day in order to welcome a new Nephilim family into the Institute. There was a young couple, in their mid-twenties, along with a five-year-old child who went by the last name Ashdown, in spite of the fact that they had no real relation to the actual Shadowhunter family. The couple had been mundanes that had Ascended about eight years before, after the war with Sebastian that had killed so many good Nephilim.

Aurelia let out a little chirp of happiness, bouncing a little as she walked. While the toddler was full of energy, she was unbelievably well-behaved, and most likely wouldn't let go of Isabelle's hand unless she was told she had permission. "He's kinda weird, too!" she pointed out, her wide, molten gold eyes fixing themselves on her aunt's face, searching to make eye contact. "You know he calls me Maggie?"

"No," came the weak, squeaky argument. The tiny voice belonged to Maxine, whose dark eyes, so much like her mother's, were narrowed at her bigger cousin. Isabelle found it amusing that Magnus called both of his beloved nieces Maggie, insisting that one of them be named after him. No one really ever argued with him, either, so the sparkly warlock just went with it, even if it confused the poor little things. "_I_ Maggie." Even though their age difference was only three months, Aurelia spoke far better than the brown-haired baby. That was probably due to the fact that Jace and Clary both taught her new words and pushed her to learn more daily, however. Isabelle just wasn't really into that. She wanted to baby Maxine as much as she possibly could, and Simon wanted the same. Jace had warned her that they were going to raise a spoiled brat, but he was absolutely not one to talk. Aurelia was going to grow up thinking she was a literal princess.

The raven-headed girl was just beaming back at her little cousin. "Okay. You can be Maggie. I'm A.J.!"

Isabelle couldn't help but smile at the baby Herondale's positivity. She was just so _happy, _almost all the time. The only time Isabelle had ever seen her upset was when her favorite blanket got ruined by a dryer malfunction. Well, and she was whiny when she was hungry, and she got into the weapons room very often, though Isabelle supposed that was more Jace's fault than anything. Ever since Aurelia could walk, Jace had been trying to teach her how to fight. Needless to say, Clary did not approve.

As they approached Magnus's apartment, Aurelia's excitement finally got the better of her, and she released her aunt's hand before bolting up the stairs to knock on the door. Her little hand raised up, but before it even touched the door, Magnus swung it open with a broad, theatrical wave of his arms. He was wearing what Isabelle made out to be a sort of suit, but it was almost too glittery and colorful to tell. To be honest, it was much, much brighter than what the man usually wore, and that was saying something. But he knew that the toddlers loved his sparkly clothes, and Magnus always loved seeing them smile.

"Welcome!" he greeted with a low bow, just so that he could be eye-level with Aurelia. "You look as lovely as ever, Miss A.J.," he told her, and the black-haired little girl grinned broadly in delight. Magnus was one of her very favorite people - ever. He was just so entertaining, and so sparkly, and so fun to be around. Of course, he was one of Maxine's favorites, as well, but the laid-back toddler wasn't nearly as expressive as her older cousin. Still, she offered the warlock the tiniest of smiles when he looked up at her with the same dramatic smile he'd given Aurelia.

"And you, too, little one," Magnus continued and reached out to take Maxine in his arms. The dark-eyed child went to him immediately, which was surprising considering that she nearly never left her parent's arms.

Isabelle smiled softly at the three of them and stretched her arm a bit, tired from holding Maxine's weight. "All right, you guys. Jace is going to come get you when we're done getting the Ashdowns settled in. Don't give Uncle Magnus too much grief, okay?" she asked, mostly referring to Aurelia. The kid was very inquisitive and easily-bored, and Magnus's apartment had so many different things to get into. "Keep them safe, Magnus," she went on in a near warning. Isabelle was unashamedly protective of Maxine, and she made sure that the warlock understood he'd be in big trouble if she so much as got a bruise. Actually, everyone knew that if she trusted them with her baby, they had better take their job seriously.

Magnus gave her a very big, very reassuring grin before she turned to walk away. Isabelle sighed softly and smiled a bit. Magnus was a wonderful uncle, and he'd watch out for them almost as well as their own parents. She had nothing to be worried about.

* * *

"Now..." Magnus said slowly as he began to close the door, a smirk stretching across his face as he turned to face Aurelia, still balancing Maxine on one hip. "What shall we do today, biscuits?" Aurelia always loved when Magnus asked that question. That question meant that they could go do whatever they wanted, and they got to pick. Well, usually Maxine picked, but Aurelia always had fun. Plus Magnus was really interesting to watch, because he was always so sparkly and so shiny. It was always fun.

When no one immediately answered his question, Magnus arched an eyebrow. Usually Maxine would shout out something that she wanted to do - usually put on makeup or explore Magnus's endless array of vibrant clothes. Maxine was very easily-entertained, and while Aurelia found those things to be pretty boring, it at least gave her something to do to pass the time. Magnus had cool clothes, too, but Aurelia didn't like the makeup so much. She found that Uncle Magnus was not good at applying it, in her opinion. She often hoped for a chance to put some of the sparkly stuff on her own face, but she hadn't done it before, and didn't know if she was allowed or not. It wasn't that important to her, so she decided not to even ask.

"Um..." Aurelia started, noticing that Maxine was beginning to nod off on Uncle Magnus's shoulder. She guessed it was up to her to pick what they did. "Let's play... hide 'n seek!" she chirped with what she hoped was her very brightest grin. That way, maybe she'd be more likely to get what she wanted.

The sparkly man tipped his head at the request, before he mirrored her grin near perfectly. "Yes, of course," he told her, turning to lay the now-sleeping Maxine down on the soft leather couch. She probably wouldn't want to play when she was sleepy, anyway, and Magnus didn't mind having some time with just Aurelia. She was so bright and sunny, even if she did look quite a bit like one drunken, golden-eyed Herondale he'd once met at a bar in London. The disturbing one that shot things.

She possessed the same fiery golden eyes and black hair as that poor soul, but her countenance was completely different. Magnus supposed that might just be because she was a child, oblivious to the evils of the world. He, along with the rest of the people who loved her, would do his best to keep her as she was now - happy and sweet and fun-loving, even if that meant keeping her energetic, nosy side. It was better than the alternative.

So he was more than willing to play hide 'n seek for a little while, though his apartment wasn't quite big enough for them to have a really suitable game. Still, Aurelia was having fun, and hopefully getting some of her boundless energy out of her system.

It was about the second hour of playing that Magnus realized that he might've dug himself a sort of grave with this game. Aurelia was still bouncing around and seemed to want to play forever. The worst part was that she was _good _at it, and he had to put some effort into his seeking. He'd find her in the oddest places - in an empty pot that Magnus had once reserved for a sort of tree, wriggled in between his pillow and pillowcase, hanging from the coat rack... But all that joy on her face was worth the effort, he decided as she managed to find him in his hiding spot behind the recliner. She'd let out a teeny, tiny squeak and run over to throw her arms around his neck before running off once more so that she could find a new hiding spot while Magnus counted.

He couldn't help but wonder if this was how all baby Herondales had been. After all, looking past all their demons and inner turmoil, they loved others immensely, and Aurelia seemed to have love to spare. Magnus almost couldn't believe how pleasant she was, after his encounters with her father and several of his ancestors.

He just really hoped she didn't walk down a dark path like he'd seen happen before. From his experience, even if everything in a Herondale's life seemed to be going right, they would find _something _to mess up. They were just really good at ruining themselves, he supposed.

And apparently, they were _unbelievably _good at hide 'n seek. Magnus was sure that he'd combed over every single room in the apartment multiple times, and for the life of him, he could not find the child, and once twenty minutes had gone by, he was beginning to get worried. Perhaps not for the toddler as much as for himself, though. Jace would most assuredly find a place to lay a Magnus-skin rug if he let anything happen to his baby, and therefore Magnus resolved to never let Aurelia, or Maxine, for that matter, get hurt under his watch.

But he just could _not _find this child. He wasn't really sure how much time had passed while he searched, but soon there was a knock at the door. Magnus took a very deep, steadying breath as he headed over to answer it. He was not at all surprised when a golden-haired, golden-eyed man strode in with a huge smile on his face.

"A.J.!" Jace called, effectively waking Maxine, who began to whimper and gripe automatically. Magnus barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes, lest his precious little niece think he was upset at her, and went to go lift the newly-awoken toddler as Jace continued, "Daddy's here to pick you up!"

There was, as Magnus predicted, no response. Jace frowned deeply and turned to face the warlock, tilting his head. "Where's my daughter?" he questioned, his eyes containing more than a subtle hint at a threat. Magnus didn't really blame him - his apartment was filled to the brim with lots of random, dangerous things that an inquisitive little tot like Aurelia could get into.

A sudden idea popped into the warlock's head and he sighed deeply. "_Maggie_, sweatpea, Uncle Magnus gives up! You can come out now!" he called, cupping one hand around his mouth.

The response was instant - Aurelia's high-pitched little voice replied from the laundry/trash room in the back of the house: "I'm _not_ Maggie!" Magnus couldn't hide his amusement as the tiny girl scrambled over some trash bags. Her normally-clean and unmarked face was streaked with the brightest blue and purple glittery eyeliner that Magnus thought he had ever seen - he'd thrown the products out about two weeks ago and had never gotten around to actually emptying the room of trash. And as if the glittery face wasn't bad enough, the child had on one of Magnus's old hot pink leather jackets, studded with sequins. He hadn't seen that article of clothing in quite a while, and assumed that Alec had tried to hide it from him so that he wouldn't wear it again. Her hair was also suspiciously spiky and clumpy.

Jace was openly gawking at his daughter's appearance, his eyes stretched wide. Magnus was fully expecting to face divine judgment for this. He probably deserved it anyway, for losing the kid in the first place, but as he watched, Jace's lips twitched up into a fond little smile. The young man trotted through the kitchen and knelt down before the toddler, reaching out to mess with her gelled black hair. "A.J., what did you do?" he asked, and Magnus was almost surprised at the gentleness of his tone. He'd heard him speak to his daughter thousands of times before, just like this, but it never ceased to amaze him. Jace was like another human being altogether around his family.

As stated before, Herondales loved deeply. That much was evident by the adoration in both sets of golden eyes as father and daughter spoke to one another.

"_I'm_ Uncle Magnus!" Aurelia announced as she performed a surprisingly graceful - by four-year-old standards - twirl, reaching into her pocket and sprinkling blue glitter toward her father when she finished. "See?" She looked particularly proud of herself. "I'm pretty!"

Magnus watched Jace bite his lower lip to stifle laughter as he nuzzled the top of her head. "You're always pretty, sunshine," he told her before helping her out of the pink leather jacket. "But I think we need to give this back to Uncle Magnus now, hm?"

Aurelia nodded seriously. "Uh-huh. Can't take stuff," she informed Jace, who smiled and lifted her up to put her on his shoulders before handing the once-missing jacket to Magnus. He accepted it gratefully.

"Right. We can't take things if they're not ours," he told her, his smile broadening a bit when she rested her chin affectionately onto the top of his head. "Did you and Maxine have fun with Uncle Magnus today?" he inquired.

Maxine was the first one to reply to that. "Nap," she slurred, obviously still half-asleep. Magnus assumed she must've either had little sleep the night before, or she was just getting over a cold. The poor baby.

Aurelia beamed happily and reached out her hands toward Maxine, clearly happy that the other girl was awake. "Yay! 'Morning! Wanna play now?" she questioned, just before a large yawn escaped her and she rested her head back down onto her father's golden tresses. "Um... later?" she finished, apparently just realizing how sleepy she was herself.

Jace skillfully moved Aurelia down so that she was cradled safely in his left arm and kissed her forehead gently. "We can play later. But take a nap now, okay? When you wake up, you can meet the new kid back at the Institute," he told her, and her golden eyes opened blearily. Magnus marveled at how suddenly all that seemingly bottomless energy could run out.

The golden man reached out and took Maxine in his other arm and balanced the two children carefully so that neither was in danger of falling before he turned and smiled at Magnus. "Thank you for watching them today. Sorry I took so long getting here - the new family needed the grand tour," he explained, and Magnus waved a hand dismissively.

"I love keeping them. They're the best little nieces anyone could ask for," he assured the Herondale quietly, so as not to disturb the half-asleep babies in the other man's arms. "It's strange - I actually feel like their uncle sometimes."

Jace looked confused for a moment, his eyebrows knitting up in concern, before he nudged Magnus with his shoulder. "You _are _their uncle. We're family," he assured him with a signature Herondale smirk. "You should feel like that all the time, Magnus. Don't be stupid."

Magnus felt his mouth open ever so slightly in surprise, and could think of no suitable reply to that statement. Instead, he just smiled and walked over to open the door for the golden-headed man, as he had no free hands. The warlock waved one hand to signal that the Shadowhunter could leave, and Jace gave him a warm grin before heading down the stairs, careful not to bounce the children too much.

Just before Jace reached the bottom step, a sentence formed itself together in Magnus's sparkly head. "You're a good dad, Jace."

The young man craned his neck to look behind him, his golden eyes slightly wide in surprise, before his lips quirked up at the corners. "I'm trying to be," he said slowly, looking down at Aurelia with one of the most loving expressions Magnus thought he'd ever seen on the Shadowhunter's face. "She seems to think I'm doing all right."

And with that, the golden man walked out the door without giving Magnus a chance to speak. Instead, the warlock felt a smile tugging on his own mouth.

Perhaps... they were all doing just fine.

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**I think I like this one, but that could just be the lack of sleep talking x.x I got literally no sleep last night, so if this chapter is unintelligible or off in some parts, please inform me! I will fix it. This is also significantly longer than the other two chapters, as well. I was in a writing mood c:**

**Anyway, this is the first time I've typed up Aurelia when she was old enough to have a personality, and I hope I did all right. c: I'm excited to write more of her in the next few chapters as well.**

**I now have an actual direction that I'm going to take this story, so I may really not accept ideas :s I'm sorry, guys. I hope you'll enjoy the story regardless! Also, I know it's kind of fluffy right now... keep in mind that this isn't going to be all happy little one-shots. The plot won't seriously come into play until around the tenth chapter or so. I'm not too sure. :s**

**Please read, review, favorite, follow, and ask all the questions you want! I don't bite.**

**Guest Review Reply:**

**Allie: **_Thank you for your review c: I'm glad you like her name! I was a little nervous about using such an unusual name at first, but it's actually growing on me, I think. And that's really weird about your character! Auriel is a very pretty name, too. _

**God bless you all!**

**anim8or**

**P.S. Happy Cinco de Mayo~!**


	4. Chapter Three - Finally a Shadowhunter

Clary hadn't ever imagined that she could be this anxious over something as simple as a Rune. She'd faced down demons, her psychotic father, her even _more _psychotic brother, and, to a lesser extent, Magnus in his underwear. But she realized that all the fears that she had felt then couldn't quite compare to this.

_This _was different. While, yes, she had been scared then, it had been for her own life, and Jace's life, and the lives of her friends and family. Never before had she had to face a situation where she was afraid for her baby girl's life.

It was a safe situation, more or less, when a young Shadowhunter recieved their first Rune. Clary had been informed by Jace, Isabelle, Alec, Jem, Maryse, Robert, Jocelyn and Luke that it was a very easy process, and more often than not went very smoothly. All of them had gotten their Voyance Rune at an early age. Aurelia had been pestering Clary for a whole year, ever since the Ashdown boy, Casper, had gotten his when he turned six years old, and Clary had promised her daughter that she could get hers when she got to that age, as well.

Aurelia's sixth birthday had been two months ago, but Clary had put it off as long as possible. Still, her child was persistent. She'd ask Jace first, who would tell her to go to Clary, who would say "not yet." Then, she would go ask random members of the Institute for permission, and they would tell her to talk to her parents about it. Clary knew it frustrated the girl, but she couldn't help it. She didn't want her to get hurt.

But now it was happening. Clary held her daughter's hand as the Silent Brother, whom she believed to be named Brother Elisha, held a stele to her other. Aurelia, like her father, was left-handed, so the Voyance Rune was going to be placed there.

Clary turned her head to look at Jace, who was standing not too far behind her. She saw her own worry mirrored in his golden orbs, and he gave her what she thought was supposed to be a reassuring smile.

It wasn't working.

Her anxiety spiked when she saw the tip of the stele touch Aurelia's hand, and especially when the child winced and glanced at her parents. It was the first time the golden-eyed little girl had shown anything akin to fear over this process. Clary imagined that she didn't expect it to sting as badly as it did.

Even though she was nervous, it was clear that Aurelia was determined. The girl sat straight and still, nibbling on her lower lip as she watched the stele trace black lines on the back of her hand. Clary flinched when the light smoke rose up, but Aurelia showed no other sign that she was in pain. She simply looked anxious, and Clary couldn't blame her. She herself felt like her heart was beating a thousand miles per hour.

Finally, _finally, _the Silent Brother stepped back and Aurelia lifted her hand to admire the eyeball-looking Rune. As Clary watched, a wide grin crossed the black-haired girl's face and she bounced out of her seat, unable to sit still any longer.

"Look!" she squeaked, her eyes wide and that same impossible shade of gold that Jace's were. She extended her hand to show her parents the Mark, and Clary's heart swelled with pride for her precious baby. "I'm a Shadowhunter now!"

Clary smiled softly and leaned forward to kiss the child's forehead. "Yes, you are!" she confirmed, and saw Jace shake his head slowly, a disapproving frown on his face. She turned to look at him, raising one eyebrow at her husband.

"She's been a Shadowhunter since she was born," he informed the two of them, a smile crossing his lips. "But I guess a Mark does make it official, doesn't it? We can start training now, and your mother can't argue." Clary narrowed her eyes. She could argue if she very well pleased.

Aurelia nodded enthusiastically. "I can't wait to go show Maxine, and Casper, and Uncle Alec, and..." Clary took a moment to smile. Regardless of the fact that Aurelia claimed Casper as her best friend, she _always _put Maxine first. "...and Auntie Tess and Uncle Jem!" Aurelia continued excitedly, a bright grin on her little face. Once she finished listing each name, clearly in order of importance, she furrowed her little eyebrows in confusion. "Wait... did you say we could train, Daddy?"

Two sets of fiery golden eyes locked onto Clary as both the little girl and Jace looked to her, clearly wanting permission. Clary found that she couldn't possibly say anything to make her daughter any less happy than she was at that moment. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, exhaling through her nose.

"Fine."

And, with that one word, both father and daughter shared an overjoyed glance before bolting out the door. In the direction of the training room, no doubt.

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**Short, I know T.T I'm sorry! I wanted it to be longer, but it did not want to be. I think it's okay, even if it's the shortest chapter I've ever written for anything. I still like it though, and I hope you all enjoy. c: Happy Mother's day, just in case any mothers are reading this.**

**Guest Review Replies:**

**Guest 1: **_Thank you so much for the praise and review! They're absolutely always appreciated. They make it much easier to write for you all._

**Guest 2: **_Amazingly is, in fact, a word c: Thank you, by the way! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter._

**Reviews are always wanted c: Thank you for all your support so far!**

**God bless you all!**

**anim8or**


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